Car Hire Sheffield

All you need to know about hiring a car in Sheffield

Known as the Steel City owing to its industrial past, you wouldn’t know that this beautifully green city is right on the doorstep of the Peak District. In fact, over half – that’s 61% – of its entire area is green and pleasant land, so it’s no surprise it’s a top destination for getaways and holidays all year round.

Sheffield might be considered ‘the North’ – especially because it’s part of Yorkshire – but it’s actually quite central. Around 160 miles from London, it’s well-connected to the M1 and close to other major cities, like Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham. Here’s a bit more about the city and how to get around when you stay or visit it.

Sheffield’s bright history

People are said to have lived in the city for over a millennium, and it’s one of the oldest cities in the UK. But it’s also played a huge part in the industrial revolution – a place that produced huge amounts of steel in its long history. When you hire a car in Sheffield, be sure to visit the Millennium Gallery for its exhibition on cutlery, which Sheffield is still famous for producing. You’ll find it in the city centre, close to multi-storey car parks as well as on direct bus routes, and near to Sheffield train station.

A city of landmarks

It’s not just steel that Sheffield’s famous for. It’s widely known for its many theatres, particularly the Crucible and Lyceum. And, for football fans, Sheffield FC – the oldest club in the world – is here, too. Is it any surprise tourism is booming, and over 17.2 million people visit every year?

Hiring a car in Sheffield

When getting out and about in Sheffield, you’ll find it’s similar to other large cities – a fair bit of traffic, lots of one-way systems, traffic calming measures and even sections of the city centre that have now become pedestrianised. The good news is parking is relatively inexpensive, public transport is affordable (for instance, if you want to ‘park and ride’) and road links are good across the city.

Major road links in Sheffield

The M1 is the closest motorway to Sheffield, but it’s also well-connected to Chesterfield and Huddersfield via the A61. There are also many A and B roads that take you direct to the countryside – the beautiful Peak District National Park.

It’s coming home in the city!

There are several famous football clubs in the Steel City, including Sheffield Wednesday (the Owls) and Sheffield United (the Blades), located in Hillsborough and Bramall Lane respectively. When hiring a car in Sheffield, you can park in any unofficial car parks on the A61 to Hillsborough, while Bramall Lane is accessible via park-and-ride options (the city has an impressive 8 car parks served by trams and buses). Closer to the stadiums, you’ll find more restrictions.

Steel City shopping

When you’re hiring a car in Sheffield, be sure to visit Meadowhall – a massive mall that covers 1.4 million square feet of floor space. It’s just a few short miles from the city centre and nearby Rotherham, with tram access near Sheffield Cathedral if you’d prefer not to drive. Containing hundreds of shops, restaurants and a Vue cinema, there’s plenty to see and do – whether it’s designer shopping, catching a movie or grabbing a cheeky Nando’s.

Parking at Meadowhall is free – with 12,000 spaces to choose from, including a covered car park. And nearby, there’s Meadowhall Retail Park and Valley Centertainment, with tons more shops, places to eat and even bowling to pass the time.

Finally, Sheffield arena and Sheffield Ice (ice rink) are also close to Meadowhall – so if the weather’s not up to scratch, you can find lots of indoor activities to pass the time (with most having parking available for your hire car).

Walks in and around Sheffield

Did you know: Sheffield has the highest ratio of trees to people in Europe? There are actually a few hundred parks in Sheffield too, whether it’s Crookes Park, Graves Park, Norfolk Heritage Park or the Botanical or Winter Gardens.

Wherever you choose to stroll along, you can’t go wrong when taking your hire car to Sheffield’s green spaces. And with the Peak District National Park beckoning, you can spend plenty of time in nature.

Catch a Sheffield radio station

Why not listen to Sheffield’s Hallam FM (97.40) and BBC Radio Sheffield (88.60) whenever you travel in your hire car? When in Sheffield, you’ll find so much to see and do, and enjoy some of the best tunes to pass the travel time, too!

Get in touch

To hire a car in or around Sheffield, get in touch with the team today.

Sheffield Car Hire